Plastic cap for collapsible type snap fastener socket



Aug. 21, 1956 H. w. WILLIAMS 2,759,238

PLASTIC CAP FOR COLLAPSIBLE TYPE SNAP FASTENER SOCKET Fild June 29, 1953&

TTORNEY INVENTOR Harold wwilliclma United States PatentO PLASTIC CAP FORCOLLAPSIBLE TYPE SNAP FASTENER SOCKET Harold W. Williams, Pawling, N.Y., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conrn, acorporation of Connecticut Application June 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,838

2 Claims. (Cl. 24--216) This invention relates to snap fastener socketsand particularly to improvements in the cap member used in associationwith the so-called self-setting or collapsible type of socket piece ofthe character disclosed in the Richardson Patent No. 605,833.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an improvedconstruction of a plastic cap to be used in association with the abovetype of socket piece.

In making plastic caps for use with the collapsible type of socketpieces, in the past it was necessary to provide a recess in the caphaving a restricted opening so that the socket piece could obtain asuitable anchorage within the cap when the socket piece was collapsedtherewithin. This was obtained in the earlier type of plastic cap bymolding the cap about a metal insert. This insert construction wasobjectionable because there was not suflicient flexibleness to theinsert within the plastic cap, so that often the collapsible socketwould be restricted by the insert piece and interfere with the requiredresilient action of the socket. Also it required an extra piece and wasrelatively expensive. While it has been proposed to use a single piececap made only of plastic material, this gave rise to other difficultiesin that a restricted recess within a cap could not be molded directlybecause it would be impossible to remove the cap from the die. Thus itwas necessary to mold a cap having a recess with parallel surface wallsso as to permit removal of the cap from the die and by a subsequentforming operation to the wall to restrict the recess opening into thecap.

It is the object of this invention to make a plastic cap that can becompletely constructed in a single molding operation and provided withintegral structural characteristics that will permit a self-setting typeof socket piece to be collapsed within the cap coincident with theattaching of the cap and socket piece to a support and assure a firmanchorage of the parts to the support without interfering with theresilient requirements of the socket piece.

For this purpose a plastic cap is provided having a cylindrical recessopening through its underside and a series of parallel vertical radialribs are formed on the circumferential wall of the recess and extend thefull depth of the recess. The ribs are of such a character that duringthe setting of the socket piece within the recess, portions of the ribsadjacent the base of the recess are mutilated or deformed by theoutwardly collapsed walls of the socket piece, and the collapsed wallsbecome embedded within the ribs to securely anchor the cap to the socketpiece without the need of altering the general overall shape of the capfrom its original state.

The full nature of this invention along with other objects and variousadvantages thereof will be more apparent from a consideration of thefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the plastic cap embodying thefeatures of the invention.

Referring now to the drawingthe numeral 10 designates a socket cap madeof plastic material and used to attach a self-setting or collapsibletype of metal resilient socket piece 11 to a support member 12 such asfabric, sheet plastic, leather or similar material.

The plastic cap 10 is initially molded in the state as shown in Fig. 1having a closed end or base 13 and an annular rigidwall 14 perferablymade somewhat thicker than the closed end 13. The closed end 13 andannular wall 14 define a recess or cavity 15 opening through the Iunderside of the cap. Projecting from the circumferential wall of therecess is a series of radially projecting ribs 16 closely spacedthereabout and extending the full depth of the recess 15.

As best shown in Fig. 1 the lower edge of the wall 14 is formed on aslight inwardly downward bevel 17 and the ribs 16 project a slightdistance below the beveled edge 17 as at 18, the lower ends of the ribsbeing likewise beveled as at 19 in a manner comparable to the bevelededge 17 to provide relatively sharp rib extremities.

The socket piece 11 in its initial state as shown in Fig. 3 is theso-called collapsible self-setting type of socket of conventionalconstruction and consists of a barrel or body 20 terminating in alateral projecting angular flange 21 surrounding the open end. Thebarrel 20 is slitted substantially its entire length as at 22 so as topermit the barrel 20 to collapse under axial pressure and these slitsextend entirely through the flange 21 as indicated at 23 so as to impartresiliency to the socket piece. As noted in Fig. 3 an intermediateportion of the barrel is provided with openings or piercings 24 that arepositioned to intercept the slits 22 so as to weaken that portion of thebarrel in order that the barrel will collapse outwardly within thatgeneral area during the setting operation. The juncture of the barreland flange has an offset bead 25 which forms a constricted resilientneck opening adapted to engage the complementary portion of a studmember (not shown) of any usual approved construction.

In the operation of assembling the socket part 11 to the supportmaterial 12, the material 12 is first provided with a piercing 26 of asuitable size to receive the barrel 20 of the socket part. The socketpart is mounted in a suitable die (not shown) and then the supportmaterial is placed thereover with the barrel 20 projecting through anopening 26 in the material 22 as seen in Fig. 3. The cap 10 is alsosecured in a die (not shown) and as the dies are moved toward each otherthe closed end 17a of the barrel 17 abuts against the base surface ofthe cap recess 15. As the dies continue to move closer toward each otherthe sections of the barrel 20 that are divided by the slits will becollapsed outwardly in the region of the barrel openings 24 into abulged state and said barrel sections will embed themselves into theribs 16 and deform them at the innermost end of said ribs as shown inFig. 5. It is to be understood that when the barrel sections of thesocket piece are expanded into the ribs, some amount of the rib materialwill be displaced and moved into the spaces between the adjacent ribsthus facilitating the collapsing of the barrel within the cap recess.

By reason of the fact that it is only the inner ends of the ribs intowhich the barrel sections of the socket piece are embedded, there isassured a very firm anchorage be- 3 tween the socket piece 11 andplastic cap 12 withou danger of pulling apart. This construction alsoassures that the support material will be firmly embraced between theflange 21 of the socket part and the beveled edge 17 of the cap wall 14with the projecting portions 18 of the ribs embedding themselves in thesupport material so as to provide a secure anchorage to the clothimmediately surrounding the socket so as to prevent the cloth pullingoutwardly therefrom.

It is also to be noted from Fig. 4 that the offset bead 25 constitutingthe resilient opening of the socket piece is sufiiciently spaced fromthe cap and the ribs in the cap so as not to interfere with the normalresilient characteristics of the socket during the engaging action withany complementary stud.

While the form of invention herewith shown and described embraces apreferred embodiment of same it is understood that the construction maybe varied without departing from the spirit of invention and the scopeof what is claimed.

What I claim is:

l. A snap fastener socket member consisting of a plastic cap and a sheetmetal resilient socket piece adapted to be assembled to each otherthrough an opening in a support member from opposite sides thereof, saidplastic cap having a base part and a rigid wall depending from thecircumference of the base part to define therewith a cavity, a series ofaxially arranged ribs projecting radially inwardly from the wall of saidcavity, said socket piece comprising a barrel part and an end flangesurrounding the open end of the barrel part, said socket piece havingslits extending through said barrel part and said flange dividing the,same into sections, the wall sections of said barrel part adjacent itsclosed end being expanded outwardly to provide an enlarged inner endwhich extends across the upper portions of said ribs which have beendeformed by the outward expansion of the barrel sections whereby theinterengagement of the expanded barrel portion and deformed ribspermanently interlock the socket piece to the plastic cap.

2. A snap fastener socket member as defined in claim 1 wherein the ribsare extended beyond the edge of said wall and are adapted to embed intothe support member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

